ABOUT

Summary
Scotch whisky has traditionally drawn upon heritage and premium cues to convince shoppers of its quality.
However, the category has an underlying problem that has largely been ignored: shoppers find it too confusing, and as a result, two-thirds of them leave the aisle empty-handed.
People aren't leaving because they don't want to buy, but rather, because they are intimidated by a wall of glass that fails to communicate the things they care about most, primarily taste.
Jura - the UK’s No. 1 Single Malt - recognised that being market leader comes with the responsibility to lead. So, when it came time to refresh our packaging, we embraced the challenge to make whisky more accessible.
As part of a considered restage, launched in August 2025, we developed an innovative, on-pack Taste Device which takes the guess-work out of flavour - and made the bold decision to replace our hero Jura 10 Year Old with Jura 12 Year Old, also based on consumer preference.
At a critical point for the brand, we put shoppers first.
The results have been immediate and transformative. In the UK, Jura has grown penetration and outpaced a declining category. In the Netherlands, the restage triggered a 41% sales surge.
By solving for the confusion gap, Jura hasn't just refreshed a brand; we’ve made whisky more accessible.

The Challenge
To uninitiated shoppers, Scotch whisky is intimidating. Every bottle looks similar and uses similar, opaque language. It’s hard to tell where to begin if you’re not familiar with the category.
Navigation of the fixture isn’t easy – and packaging isn’t clearly communicating the things that shoppers want to know.
Our research into the whisky fixture confirmed this, that two-thirds of shoppers abandon their purchase journey at the shelf, citing that it’s "too confusing".
This confusion is compounded by brands using vague, long-winded tasting notes, creating uncertainty around the flavor profile of their whiskies.
Our research showed that shoppers want to understand, at a glance, three key elements:
- Taste profile (“will I/they like this?”);
- Clear indication of age;
- The whisky’s provenance.
For the category to be more accessible to shoppers, we realised the need to make our packaging easier to find and understand – and to communicate taste as simply as possible.
However, we also faced challenges specific to the Jura brand:
- We needed to bring more consistency to the brand, making it feel more premium, contemporary and relevant in a highly competitive category.
- Jura’s unique bottle silhouette and logo are iconic - but these weren't working hard enough to build brand salience and equity.
- While Jura is popular, consumers were unclear on what our “house style" actually tastes like.

The Strategy
Jura’s brand mission is to bring people together for more meaningful connections.
So, beyond refreshing our packs, we set out to overcome category challenges that stood between whisky being bought and shared.
Our objective was simple: “make whisky more accessible". 

We identified three steps to success:
1. Take the confusion out of taste
2. Refresh Jura’s packaging to aid on-shelf navigation
3. Position Jura 12 as our hero expression

The Execution
1. Take the Confusion Out of Taste
Consumers don't want a poetic paragraph about "heather on the hill“, they want to know, at a glance, what the whisky actually tastes like. So, we researched over 200+ packs across food and drinks to uncover how best to communicate taste in an instant.
From this, we developed an innovative back-of-pack Taste Device, featuring three easy-to-understand real-world descriptors that remove the guesswork (e.g., Peach, Citrus, Walnut). Each expression features a unique descriptor set, allowing differentiation across the range. This is supported with a visual scale with a simple bar showing how “intense" each of the three taste descriptors are. Together, they communicate taste in a way that anyone can understand.

2. Refresh Jura’s packaging to aid on-shelf navigation
After taste, shoppers told us they want to know how old the whisky is, and its origins. So, larger age statements and signals of our Scottish provenance came next. We also cut down on jargon.
Finally, we know the power of distinctive assets in driving brand salience, so we retained and enhanced our iconic silhouette and lock-up, with a background design inspired by our island home.
Instead of guessing, we used insight to shape the hierarchy of information and aid navigation.
We also used this moment to move to 100% recyclable packaging.

3. Position Jura 12 as our hero expression
Consumer feedback was also clear on another thing: consumers loved Jura 12 Year Old even more than Jura 10 Year Old.
In uncertain times, brands may hesitate to replace their lead SKU. But leaning into consumer insight again, we replaced 10YO with 12YO as our hero expression, using our restage as the moment to upgrade.
Jura 12YO also better represents our "fruity and balanced" style, and by emphasizing this in press coverage, we were able to clarify Jura’s signature taste profile.

Launch Support
The late-August rollout in lead markets (UK & Netherlands) was supported with a comprehensive plan, featuring:
JUNE: Press engagement – seeding approach and new look.
AUGUST: Trade engagement and KOL launch events. PR plan, driving awareness.
OCTOBER: New packs on shelf in key accounts supported by in-store activity.
DECEMBER: In-store activity continues alongside ATL comms to support key trading period.

The Results
Consumer Impact
Our in-depth, post-design research with 2,100 premium drinks shoppers across the UK and Europe showed emphatic success:
- Pack Preference: Consumers showed a 1.5x greater preference for the new pack over the old, plus a 15pt increase in “purchase consideration”, and 13pt uplift in “likelihood to recommend”.
- Performance on Shelf: The new design scored higher for identifying “age”, “Scottish provenance”, and “clearly communicating taste.“
- Pack Confusion: When asked to locate the new Jura 12YO on-shelf vs the best-selling 12YO globally, shoppers found Jura faster and with more accuracy.

Commercial Impact
While the phasing-in of new stock only began in late August, the early results are incredible:
NETHERLANDS: In the first 12 weeks on shelf, Jura experienced a 41% surge in sales, propelling the brand to No. 9 nationally, in a highly competitive market.
UNITED KINGDOM: At home, the results were just as impressive. During Q4, Jura outperformed the category in volume sales, strengthening our No.1 position in the off-trade. In December, the brand experienced its single largest penetration increase since 2021.

Industry Impact
Launch coverage achieved reach of 45 million+ in the UK and Netherlands, celebrating our approach of “making whisky more accessible”.
Sentiment was 100% positive, and industry stalwarts like Dave Broom, Becky Paskin, and Master of Malt lauded the approach.

Final Words
We could have just given Jura a new coat of paint, but we didn't. We learned how shoppers behave, we uncovered what was holding them back, and we tackled category barriers – all while making Jura more salient, premium, contemporary, and relevant.
By taking the confusion out of taste via our Taste Device – and cementing our own “fruity and balanced" house style in the process – we’ve given shoppers more confidence to help them choose Jura.
In doing so, we haven't just secured the brand’s future as a global leader; we’ve taken a first step in making the category less confusing, and making whisky more accessible.